Are macadamia nuts generally raw or should I beware?

[ciarac]

I'm living in Barcelona, Spain. Here, they really aren't so health conscious, let alone raw conscious. So, alas, if I ask someone if a particular thing is raw, they will say yes because they know that's what I want to hear. I really don't trust what people say, especially not the guys in the markets.
So, I wanna buy macadamias and there is this huge food market here, in the centre, called La Boqueria (for anyone that's been here). There are a few stalls where they have dried fruit and nuts, which is great, but of course, I really don't know if they are truly raw.
So, I wanted to know if Macadamias are something that can generally be found raw or are they like cashews, i.e. generally already cooked by steam or whatever.
Incidentally, what nuts CAN I generally trust? Hazelnuts? Almonds? Pinenuts?

Thanks in advance!
Soak me in your collective wisdom!!!!!! :p

[DavidZaneMason]

You CAN buy 'wet' nuts direct from the source in Hawaii. Try mac-nuts.com.

-David Z. Mason

[ciarac]

Thanks David, but I would like to not have to buy online. If I have to, I will, but I wanted to know if macadamias are something that CAN be found raw or if they are like cashews and always need to be purchased from a raw source, otherwise they are not raw.
At the market, I can get what look like raw macs, i.e. they aren't roasted or salted but I wonder if they are truly raw or not.

[rawstrength]

Hey ciarac,
I don't have answers or advice for you, but I just wanted to drop in that I love Barcelona! I spent five amazing weeks there in the summer of '06. And of course, I visited La Boqueria regularly.
Although Barcelona is not really "raw conscious," it was one of the most raw friendly places I'd ever been because of the abundance and cheapness of fresh produce (not sure what it's like in the winter, though). So, enjoy what you know is raw and a few "maybe raw maybe not raw" nuts won't hurt you.

[ciarac]

Thanks Rawstrength, you are quite right!

[ciarac]

Still would love to discover my answers about macadamias if anyone knows, I'd appreciate your knowledge!

[apower2me408]

When I see macs sold in the regular prepacked nuts section, they are roasted/salted. The only raw ones I've seen were sold at Whole Foods and they said "raw". They are probably steamed to a point, just like the raw cashews that I found at Trader Joes, but they are not roasted. You can tell by the color of the nut. The raw ones are whiter than the roasted, which look yellow-ish.